Unexpected Assistance
by Anubis85
Summary: A newcomer is seeking asylum, and offers assistance. How will she tip the scales in Fabletown? Notes: *I added a character from the local folklore for the story. **For the sake of continuity, I assumed that the relationship between Snow and Bigby is strenuous, so don't be surprised if some parts won't fit the original plot. M rating for potential violence, language, sex,etc.
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected Assistance

Chapter 1

It had been short of two days since Bigby had caught The Crooked Man, had Auntie Greenleaf imprison him in his Gilded Cage, and Nerissa had run off to who-knows-where. Since Bigby and Snow White decided to change how Fabletown was run, both of them were up to their elbows in complaint and files. All he was longing for was a big, greasy cheeseburger and some Grey Goose to wash it down. Hoping that the hands of the clock moved towards closing time, Bigby cast a look; but much to his dismay, it was only 4 PM. A knock on the door shook him out of his food dreams as he yelled "Come in!"

Snow White tentatively stepped through the open door. "Hello Bigby. I'm sorry if you're busy, but we have an asylum application, and I wanted to give you some information before you interviewed her."

Scowling at his finished cigarette, Bigby lit a new one. "I'm listening."

"Well, it's not actually one of ours. Our applicant is from the Eastern Parts of the Homelands. Her name is Shahmaran, also known as "The Queen of Serpents". She didn't tell me that though, Bufkin looked it up. Anyway, she told me she was seeking asylum because Mundies were after her meat in the literal sense, and for some reason she decided to come here. I guess you can hear the rest from her." She moved to the side to let a woman who slightly resembled Snow in.

Bigby sized up the newcomer in a few seconds. She was dressed in a demure black suit, had her dark hair pinned up in a bun. Not a lot of makeup, no heavy perfumes. Whatever her form was, she appeared fully human, a pretty one at that. A thought in the back of her mind pointed out how she looked more like Snow than Rose Red did. He watched silently as the woman slowly sat on the swivel chair.

"So, Miss…Shahmaran. Please excuse me if I say your name wrong…"

"Oh no Mr. Wolf, it's perfectly fine." A lilt could be caught in her accent. "I cannot thank you enough for not rejecting my application. Please call me Maran, the first bit is more of a title anyway."

"See Miss Maran, this is the point where I decide if your application will be rejected or not. If you tell us the truth, you have nothing to be worried about. Now, why don't you tell us why you applied?"

"Well Mr. Wolf, it goes on like this: As Miss White said so, I am the Queen of Serpents, and I used to live underground since our part of the Homelands had been annexed. Unlike you Fables however, I didn't hide my identity, and even bestowed mild powers on people who proved themselves to be worthy. I had no idea it would cause me so much trouble!" At that point Shahmaran's breath hitched and she began sobbing quietly.

Seeing that he was short on tissues, Bigby handed her a cigarette. "Erm…What exactly happened, Miss?"

Maran gratefully took the cigarette between her lips and smoked it as if her life depended on it. Bigby silently gave her credit for not complaining about his Huff n Puffs. "Well, not only did I rule over the snakes, and shift shape-this is not your glamour you see-my scales have healing properties." She paused for a moment for another drag. "The local TV channel made a document about me for tourism purposes. Well, before you know it, people all over the region were flocking over to take a chunk out of me! While I can defend myself just fine on one on one, I had enough when thousands of people tried to kidnap me so that they could sell off my scales. I shifted, hitched a ship to Fabletown, and here I am. It's possibly the only place where nobody will look for me. At least, I'll know that Mundies can't."

Bigby could tell from her scent that she wasn't lying, that she had indeed crossed oceans out of sheer desperation. He could also couldn't help but notice that she smelled of cinnamon, and shoved that thought deep aside.

"Well then Miss, what do you plan to do, assuming your application is accepted?"

Maran shrugged. "You know, find someplace to live, get a job, stay off the Mundies' radar-basically what everyone here is doing I think."

Bigby looked at her through squinted eyes, scratching his stubble at the same time. "Let me talk to Miss Snow. You can wait here, it shouldn't take long."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Snow hung up the phone as Bigby entered the Business Office, which was officially hers now. "So, did you finish the interview?"

Bigby scratched his stubble habitually. "Yeah, she's clean. Definitely not lying, though I can't understand why she simply didn't hide in Europe. Either way, I'd say she's fit for asylum." He looked around the Business Office thoughtfully, his gaze finally meeting Snow's. "Now that I think about it, we never had asylum seekers before. As far as I know, Mundies arrange jobs and accommodation."

Snow doodled on her notepad thoughtfully. "Well, I have an idea for a job. She could be your assistant. Basically do what I did for Faith's murder case. You need someone who will take you to Dr. Swineheart when you get shot at. She's as good candidate as any."

Bigby gaped at Snow. "Are you serious?"

"Why not? Considering what she went through, she can obviously take care of herself. Not to mention that she can shift into a viper-in case she left that out. We are seriously down on manpower-people who do not completely hate us anyway. At the very least, we can take advantage of her gratitude." Snow looked Bigby dead in the eye, and held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. "I know how cold it sounds. But we have to think of Fabletown first. Give it a try, and we'll figure something else if this doesn't work."

Bigby sighed in exasperation, and fished out a cigarette. "Well, you've the new boss, Snow. So what will we do about a living space?"

"Well…" Snow looked through some files. "There really isn't any vacancy right now. At least, all the empty apartments need cleaning, and the witches are too busy for cleaning spells right now. "

"Huh… Isn't that nice." He raked through his hair with his free hand. "I guess I'll think of something temporary. So… any other employees I should know about?"

Snow shot him an irritated stare as she picked up the phone. "That's all for now; thank you Sherriff."

Bigby shook his head incredulously. What was up with her?_ I'll figure that one out later as well, _he thought as he headed back to his office. He certainly wasn't surprised to hear raised voices echoing down the hall.

"Come on sweetie, just give me a name? What's the harm in that huh?" Bigby could tell Jack's botched attempt at being "smooth".

"Who I am is none of your business sir! Please leave me alone!"

"Aww, so pretty _and_ proper! C'mon sweetie, at least let me give you a tour of the Woodlands." Not wanting to drag this out any further, Bigby opened the door.

"Jack, you leave the nice lady alone, okay? She now has the authority to take you in, if you piss her off." The sarcasm on Bigby's voice could cut diamond.

"What?!" Exclaimed both of them in unison.

"You heard it Jack. If you don't have anything official to report, get the hell out of my office. If you do, get the hell out of my office, and book an appointment.

Jack gave him a dirty look as he headed out. "So much for the 'Everything is different' spiel, Sherriff. You're not giving us any reason to see you differently.

"Yeah, yeah, take a number." Bigby slumped into his chair, and put his head on the desk. "Why I signed up for this, I'll never know," he grumbled unintelligibly.

"Mr. Wolf, I do appreciate your help, but I am able to take care of myself. I do hope I haven't caused any trouble for you though."

"No, Miss, no. Jack is a creep, and that is him on his better days. You are definitely not in trouble. Far from it. As a matter of fact, to symbolize the change in Snow's administration, and a gesture of goodwill on your part, you even have a job."

Maran's face lit up like candles. "Oh, that's wonderful news, Mr. Wolf! How can I ever repay you?"

"Well, you can start by organizing the file drawers."

"I…beg your pardon?"

"You heard it, Miss Maran, Snow appointed you as my assistant. Without me having any say in it."

Maran's shoulders slumped. "I'm…sorry. You obviously are not happy with it, and I will try to stay out of your hair."

Bigby sighed, and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "It's not your fault. Neither of us wanted to be in this situation. Now, we'll give it a trial run, and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, we'll think of something. Now please Maran, begin organizing the drawer while I write my report."

"Very well, Sherriff." Maran opened the first drawer, coughing at the same time. "This place has seen better days, hasn't it?"

"You know it." Bigby pulled the typewriter close to him to finish up the report of Faith.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Maran was shocked at how Bigby could find anything he needed, assuming he actually ever looked up anything from these files. The drawers were dusty and rusty, the corners of the folders faded. _Well, it beats running for your life at least,_ she thought to herself. From the corner of her eye, she watched Bigby type slowly, as if it caused him pain.

How different he was from her Camshab… Sweet Camshab, when he had been her consort for decades, until he begged to return home to visit his family. How could they know that it would have caused his and Maran's subjects' demise? Still, he was the first to fall, so that she could escape and fight another day. All the powers, the healing were useless against hordes of Mundies, and their weapons.

Camshab was a peasant boy, collecting honeycombs with his friends, only to be abandoned by them in her pit. Seeing that Camshab hadn't lost his nerve and was trying to devise a way to get out had piqued her interest. Maran had taken him in to heal his wound, and they fell in love eventually.

Maran gave herself a mental shake, and did her best to concentrate at the task at hand. Even then, she couldn't help but watch Bigby occasionally. Some people may claim that he wasn't conventionally handsome, or that he was unkempt, but to Maran, it only increased his animalistic magnetism. The simple gesture of him scratch his stubble revived urges in Maran that she'd thought were long gone. The room seemed to shrink, her clothes suffocated her. _Oh no, what has Miss White gotten me into?_

Bigby was well aware that Maran was watching him, but he couldn't call her out on that. It would give him away, show that he was also ogling her. All he could sense was her scent taking over his mind. He did his best to focus on what was in front of him, but all he could see was the little bump on her nose, her pouty upper lipped which begged to be kissed, her breasts that would easily fill his hands, and the way her hips swayed as she walked between the cabinets. What made things even more impossible was her scent becoming musky, a clear indication of her arousal. _Yeah Snow, this is just what I needed; thank you so fucking much, _he thought bitterly. Lucky for him, lunchtime came to the rescue.

"I'm heading out for a bite to eat. You can come along, if you want."

"Yeah, I might as well, and I could use the fresh air."

"You and me both," mumbled Bigby.

Bigby was thankful that he had found a greasy burger joint kitty-corner to Fabletown. For some reason, he didn't want to run into other Fables, who may see him with his new assistant. Not to mention that the smell of burnt vegetable oil did help suppress Maran's scent. After finding a booth, Maran piped up: "So, how is your report going?"

He gulped his burger in delight, letting the flavor annex his tasted buds. It was almost enough to get him out of his mood. "It's almost finished."

They ate silently for a while, until Maran spoke up again. "Would you mind telling me what it's about?"

"Well… Where to start… It all began when a beheaded Fable who was hooking wanted to get away from that lifestyle-before the beheading, I mean. Her name was Faith, but you may have known her with the name 'Donkeyskin'." Bigby continued when Maran nodded. "Investigating her death caused the death of another Fable prostitute, which was a troll named Lily, and was glamoured to look like Snow White." His voice hardened as Bigby went on. "Turned out that Ichabod Crane, the deputy mayor before Snow had a…thing for her, hence the glamour. Despite what we initially thought, Crane wasn't the murderer; he was just embezzling community funds for his 'activities'". He paused to take a sip from his soda.

"So, if it wasn't Crane, who did it?"

"The perp was their pimp, who carried out the Crooked Man's order. As we dug deeper, we found out that the Crooked Man was acting as a loan shark, so that he could have Fables under his thumb. Fortunately, the jury found him guilty. He's in prison now."

Maran played with her straw thoughtfully. "You know Bigby, there's something that concerns me about this."

Intrigued, Bigby leaned towards her, trying to ignore the glimpse of a cleavage. "Do tell."

"Well, when a big shot like the Crooked Man disappears from the scene, there's a vacuum. You know as well as I do that nature abhors a vacuum. There must be people who had an eye on his throne, and will want to claim it as their own. What's worse is, innocent people will inevitably be caught in the middle of it. So, it may be a good idea to keep tabs on these potential…throne-claimers."

"Hmm…" He wouldn't let her know then, but Bigby was impressed with Maran's reasoning; she gave his hunch words. "You do have a valid point," but it's too early to assume anything. In the meantime, lunch break's over; back to business."

Back at the Farm, Goldilocks was busy with her very own agenda. She scowled at the ringing phone, but picked it up reluctantly. "Yeah? Oh, it's you. I'm okay. You? You want what exactly? Right, I'll get back to you on that." After hanging up. Goldilocks smiled to herself. "Well, things are picking up…" She picked the phone again-she had work to do.


	4. Intermission

Intermission

_Excerpt from Maran's Diary_

-1-

I always hate keeping a diary, simply because I'm no good at following it through. But now that I have noone else to talk to in Fabletown this notepad will be my confidante until further notice. If someone had told me that I would have my consort and subjects dead, that I would have to leave my beloved town town of Tarsus only to hide myself in a military aircraft in my viper form, I would have sent them to a Mundy shrink. But it happened, and here I am, with a job but no place to stay, a bunch of people giving me weird looks for being "the new girl" and a hot piece of ass as my new boss (No one can see it,so I can be as crude as I want). His name is Bigby, and he literally is the Big Bad Wolf in flesh. And what a fine flesh it is! And voice! And EVERYTHING. I might be crushing like a Mundy teenager. This never happened to me, and I really don't know how to handle it. With Camshab, it was so sweet and comfortable.I just arrived in Fabletown, and began working for him five minutes upon my reqest for asylum, and he himself is as tense as a cello string. I do know why he is as tense, and as far as I can tell, it's more than all the fucked up events he filled me on.

Everyone in Fabletown-the ones I met so far-are expecting him to act against his nature. As if he is some domesticated labrador puppy, and that he will play fetch in exchange for tummy rubs. I know it better than few-I'm a lone predator myself. We predators prowl, lie in wait for a weak spot, and attack with all our strength. That ferocity is what will fill our hunger and sustain us until we have the chance to eat again. Being a carnivore is not as great as it looks. And the higher you are in the food chain, the more ferocious you end up being. No one understands the luxury of being a herbivore. Anyway, so Fables get mad when he is in a mood, asks someone something a little too harshly, or has to defend himself against homicidal dickwipes. As far as I could tell, he and Snow was what kept Fabletown together, and all people do is whine, whine, whine. They couldn't whine as much if they'd set up Fabletown in the USSR, I assure you.

I don't know if Bigby is aware yet-but he is if his Jacobson's organ is as good as mine- but the whole aftermath of this Crooked Man deal smells fishy. He had to act against his nature to appeal to these Fables, to show how much he's "reformed", he had to have him turned into a crow and shipped to what they call the Farm. That spell had better be infallible, or shit will hit the fan when someone is able to revoke the spell. Which is exactly what I am expecting to happen. Therefore, my plan is to convince Bigby to keep a close eye on all of Crooked Man's associates-the ones that are still alive, at least. If they won't make plans to somehow release the Crooked Man, they will fight to take his place. And the last thing I will allow is to have other people destroy my home again.

Anyway, I should end this entry before he comes back. And just for the hell of it, I will write his name on what's left of this paper, like a Mundy teenager: BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGBY BIGB 3


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the business office, Snow was doing her best not to scream. If she clenched her mandible even tighter, it was going to come out of its hinges. The calls, the complaints-was there no end to this? She just wanted to gag all these people for five minutes so she could think. Everything was piling up, file after file, petition after petition, and the beloved Fabletown citizens expected two- now three- people to sort things out. The way things looked, she would probably officially hire Boy Blue, since he occasionally volunteered to help around. Might as well make it official. The only reason Snow had not hired Maran for the Business Office was her potentially decent combat abilities. There was also a slightly less prominent, but possibly important underlying reason: She wanted Bigby to have someone else to worry over. Snow could tell that Bigby's hopes increased with every moment they spent together, regardless of its nature. Hopes for what, Snow didn't know. The only thing she was sure of is that they were related to things Snow couldn't offer to anyone anymore: her heart, her body, her life. The only thing that mattered was Fabletown, how to prevent it from crumbling down on her head while taking the Farm along with it. That trail of thought brought her attention back to the stack of notes in front of her.

"Bufkin?"

"Yes, Miss White?"

"Did we ever get Weyland Smith's reply to my letter?"

"No, Miss White." Bufkin hiccupped. "There is also no confirmation about the Crooked Man's arrival to the Farm. I sent a fax too, but no reply so far."

Snow rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised to hear that nothing is going right?" Still, she had a bad feeling; that crawling in the back of her medulla oblongata supported her uneasiness. She decided to visit Bigby and Maran to share her concerns.

She was mildly surprised to see that Bigby had actually put Maran to work. Both appeared to be very busy, each absorbed in their own task. She cleared her throat to get their attention. Bigby and Maran looked up at the same time, Bigby obviously not being too happy for the interruption.

"What do you need Snow?" He asked gruffly.

"There is something off, and I wanted to share it with you two. Weyland Smith has not replied to any of the correspondence, be it phone, letter or fax. I'm sure we would have heard if something was wrong, but I still can't help feeling that there is something wrong. Also, we received no confirmation on the Crooked Man's arrival, which is also worrying me."

Bigby stared hardly ahead. "Well, did you ask the Mirror?"

"Not yet. I wanted to call you guys to my office before I did. You know, in case you notice something."

"I get it Snow, don't worry. Maran and I will drop by in a few minutes. I literally am in the middle of the sentence, so I'll wrap it up."

Maran silently watched Snow walk back to her office. "I also sense something off. Based on what you told me, the Crooked Man should have already been in the Farm by now. Do you think Flycatcher had an accident of a sort?"

Bigby dug up a Huff'n Puff and offered one to Maran. "Well, I'm willing to keep an open mind. We allowed Crooked Man to live, which I personally think is a bad idea. At this moment, anything is possible."

Maran nodded, staring thoughtfully in the ash tray. "Oh and sorry to bring this up- it probably isn't the best time to ask this, but I don't know where I'll be staying tonight… Or, after tonight."

"Right… Snow told me there is no vacancy, what with many of the empty buildings being horribly damaged due to what's happened."

"Oh… Hmm… I could stay here, I suppose-bunk in the office?"

Bigby huffed in exasperation, and scratched his stubble. _I'm going to regret this so much. _"You can stay with me Maran, until there is a place we can arrange. I have a folding bed that you can use."

Maran was incredibly relieved, but she wasn't sure how to reply. More so, she wasn't sure how she would be able to sleep at night, when he would be so close. She decided to say the most neutral thing she could think of: "Thanks, Bigby. You won't even notice me at your home, I promise."

_Yeah, right,_he thought. "Don't worry about it; we won't have Fabletown's first refugee without a roof over her head. You'll have a place of your own in no time. Now let's go and see what the Mirror has to show us."


	6. Chapter 5

"Much to my dismay, I am unable

To see the whereabouts of this Fable."

Bigby glared at the Mirror, while Snow stared glumly ahead. Maran was silent as she put out her Huff'n Puff in the plastic cup she was holding. "So…if I understood correctly, this Crooked Man, who is now a crow, is on the loose?"

Bigby kept staring at the Mirror, trying to hold his rage in check. He fished out another Huff'n Puff- he needed to refill his stock-and tried to concentrate on the smell of burning tobacco to calm down. "We should have thrown him down the Witching Well. This is what happens when you don't listen to your instinct and do shit just to appease the crowd."

"Well Bigby, it was the only decision that kept Fabletown together, in case you forgot." Snow finished her cup of water and got up to join them.

Maran's frown softened slightly, thanks to the idea she had. "Who was with him last? The guy who was supposed to take him to the Farm? Flycatcher?" Maran continued at Bigby's nod of approval. "Why don't we look for him first, and anyone else who went with Flycatcher."

Snow shrugged. "Better than nothing." She cleared her throat.

"Mirror, Mirror, show us Flycatcher

Not _Invasion of the Body Snatcher_".

Mirror gave her a pointed look.

"Dear Snow White, must I say,

That the movie is not said that way?

But I will accept your rhyme,

And not take more of your time."

None of them were ready to see what the Mirror would reveal once it stopped shimmering.

Flycatcher's truck was in shambles, with bits and pieces strewn about. It was as if something took a big bite from the truck, chewed and spit it out. A trail of blood and oil swirled, pooling not far off the car. Flycatcher was breathing heavily, possibly from the pain his unnaturally bent leg was causing. Mr. Toad and Junior were lying not far from him, with Junior trying to call out to his father.


End file.
